Key-cutting machine.



F. WANKEL.

KEY CUTTING MACHINE. APPLlcATloN min DEc.7.191s.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

F. WANKEL.

KEY CUTTING MACHINE. APPLICATIGN man DEC. 7. 191e.

lg, Patented May 8,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

entre srarns vraraivr eieren.

FRANK WANKEL, F NEW YORK, N. Y.

KEY-CUTTING' MACHINE.

- Application lled December '7, 1916. Serial No. 135,541.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that ll, FRANK WANKEL, a citizen of the United States, and a'resident of the city of NewYork, Ridgewood, borough of Queens, in thecounty of Queens Vand State of New York, have invented a new andlmprovedKey-Cutting Machine,

of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.' j

rlFhis invention relates to 4metal-working machinery and has particularreference lto machines for cutting duplicate keys.

Among the objects of the invention 'is to provide a simple yet elicientand reliable -machine for the cutting of lock keys of the type commonlyknown as Yale, Corbin or4 similar keys in which notches, grooves orslots of varied lengths or widths are provided.

' Another object of the invention is to im-y prove the generalconstruction of the ma' chine, with respect to adjustment of therelatively movable parts providing for an operation of the machine thatis materially simplified and improved as to accuracy.

With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists inthe arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described andclaimed, and while the invention is not restricted to the exact detailsof construction disclosed or suggested herein except as dei-ined by theappended claims,

still for the purpose of illustrating a practical' embodiment thereofreference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which like referencecharacters designate the same parts in the several views, and in which--Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section on the broken line 1--1 ofFig. 3;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation;

Fig. 3 isa plan view;

Fig. 4L. is a vertical sectional detail on the .line 4 4 of Fig. 3; and

'Fig 5 is a detail perspective view of the guide post.

Referrin drawings, l

now more particularly to the show a machine comprlsmg a 4rigid frame 10havingpa4 base 11 designed to be secured or clamped in place by anysuitable means as, for example, an anchor bolt 12. rlhe main portiono-the frame constitutes what may be termed a table 13 formed along itsside edges with grooves 1d, constituting guideways. The table 13 alsosupports or carries a pair of vertically Specification of LettersPatent.

cutter 17 secured to a shaft 18 journaled in the standards andadapted tobe driven by any suitable means including a wheel 19.

The cutter 17 is of diskshape and provided on its periphery with cuttingteeth 17 and on at least one side with cuttingl teeth 17". The cutterwheel is provided also with a hub 20 which is of a length correspondingto the space between the standards 1 6, whereby endwisemovement of thecutter along the axis of its supporting shaft -is prevented.

l provide a carriage comprising a pair of parallel side bars .21 and 22,which operate along the side edges of the table 13 and have ribs ortongues 2 3 projecting toward each other and operating in the guideways14 ofthe table. These side bars are connected by tranverse tie rods 25having heads 26 adjacent to the bar 21 and having their opposite ends inthreaded engagement with tapped holes in the opposite side bar 22.

y By rotation of these tie rods, the space between the side bars 21and-22 is regulated, providing for a proper tit between the side barsand the table. ln other words, the side bars are so adjusted that theywill have suiicient looseness to slip readily lengthwise of the tablealong the grooves 14,. but not suiliciently loose to have anyappreciable lateral play. After the tie rods are adjusted 1n thismanner, they lare preferably locked from rotation by. means 'of setscrews 26 tapped into the side bar 21. lt will thus be seen that thecarriage is adapted to slide freely longitudinally of the machine, suchmovement being limited in one direction by the end bar 25 impingingagainst the standardsv 16. The carriage also includes a .transverselguide bar 27 tted for endwise rotation in a fixed the foregoingdescription, is mounted for plane perpendicular to the main pla e of thetable 13. 29 indicates a guide pos -secured rigidly to the front portionof the table 13and having an active edge 29 andan active side 29",forming a right angle corner having definite relation as to distancefrom the intersection of the cutter surfaces 17a and 17h andlying in the-same vertical plane thereof. This post is locked in position by a setscrew 30, whereby it may be adjusted vertically if desired, but forpracticall purposes' it is held in fixed position. j

31 indicates a clamping block or head having two xed jaws 31a and 31",having their axes parallel to each other and arranged at an obliqueangle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane of the cutter.Cooperating with these fixed jaws are movable clamping jaws 32a and 32bfor holding a master key or pattern M and a blank D to be made into aduplicate of the master key by the operation of this machine. Themovable jaws are manipulated by winged nuts,

or their equivalent 33, which coperate with threaded bolts 34 fixed inthe head 31. Each fixed jaw of the head is rabbeted at 35 to receivetheshank of the key to be secured thereto, whereby the back of the shank ofeach key is held in definite position, with respect to the other key.Each movable jaw, also, is provided with a downwardly projecting lip 36projecting into the rabbet and against the top of the key or blank.'The'cutting edge of the master key, like the corresponding edge of theblank to be cut, extends over or beyond the face of the head or fixedjaw toward the cutter. A plunger l40 by virtue of a spring 41 actsupwardly upon each movable jaw. The plunger is parallel to the threadedbolt 34 and serves also to prevent twisting movement of the movable jaw.

The head 31 is provided at its under surface with transverse parallelgrooves 37 and 38, receiving respectively the guide bar 27 and theintermediate tie rod 25. The groove 37 is preferably deeper than theother, whereby the guide bar is received far enough within it to begripped in fixed position by means of a set screw 39, or its equivalent,tapped through the front end of .rangement or modification.

being gripped in place and the blank to be l cut being gripped in itsplace in a position vsymmetrically arranged, with respect to the masterkey, and with the cutter then rotated by any suitable means, theoperator will move the head toward the cutter into contact with theguide post 29, beginning preferably at the hilt of the key. The activeguide corner or intersection of the faces 29 and 29b of the guide postwill in effect follow the outline of the cut portion of the master key.Inasmuch as the head is rigid and the blank D bears the same relation tothe cutter as the master keydoes to the guide post, it follows that theblank will be quickly cut and with absolute precision as a duplicate ofthe master key. During this cutting action, the head is adapted forpractically universal movement, with respect to its plane or the lane ofthe keys.

The form of t e cutter having its periphery of cylindrical form and itsside of Hat form is peculiarly adapted for the cutting 'of the type ofkeys lndicated, since the notches are commonly cut in the form of rightangles or with their sides at right angles to each other correspondin yto the intersecting faces of the cutter. owever, the active guiding edgeof the guide post will follow a rounded notch as well as a square notchand the eHect upon the blank will be the same in all cases. noted alsothat this machine is adapted for the cuttin of other types of keys thanthose illustrate with very little, if any, rear- This machine is simplein construction, easy of manipulation and labsolutely true and reliablein practical yoperation.

I claim:

1. 1n a key cutting machine, the combination of a stationary tablehaving a pair of guide grooves alongA its opposite edges, a

1t is to be carriage movable longitudinally of the table barand slidablealong one of the tie rods for lateral movement with respect to thecarriage and movable with the carriage longitudinally of the table, arotary cutter journaled upon the table for action upon the blank, and aguide post fixed to the table i`n the plane of the cutter for coperationwith CII the master key for determining the direction and extent ofmovement of the head and carriage.

2. rl'he combination with a fixed table and a rotary cutter journaledtherein for operation ina definite plane, of a guide post secured to thetable and having its operative portion in the plane aforesaid, acarriage comprising a pair of parallel side bars Iitted to the sideedges of the table and adapted to reciprocate freely therealong, saidcar ringe also including a pair of tie rods, each havin a head at oneend cooperating with one sie bar and having its other end threaded inthevothler side bar, yyherehyut-he distance between the side hars isaccurately determined ancl means to look the tie rods in adjustedposition, a clamping head, means to secure master and blank keys to saidhead in parallel relation to each other for Co-l operation with the sidepost and cutter respeetively, and means to support said head upon thecarriage for movement laterally independently thereof and longitudinallywith the carriage whereby convolutions will be formed by the cutter inthe blank key exactl similar to the convolutions in the master ey.

FRANK WANKEL.

